1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a surface emission type semiconductor light-emitting device using a compound semiconductor material and a method of manufacturing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, short-wave-length semiconductor lasers have been developed for a variety of applications such as a high-density optical disk system, a high-speed laser printer and a bar-code reader. Of the short-wavelength semiconductor lasers, an InGaAlP-based semi-conductor laser, having an oscillation wave-length in 0.6 .mu.m band (red), has received a great deal of attention as a promising short-wavelength semiconductor laser.
On the other hand, extensive studies have been made on a surface emission type semiconductor laser having an advantage in integration, and good beam and longitudinal mode characteristics. The above-mentioned InGaAlP material is promising to shorten the wavelength of the surface emission type semiconductor laser into a visible light range. In addition, it is essential to form a Bragg reflector constituted by semiconductor layers on the upper and lower surfaces of a substrate in order to realize a high yield and good element formation reproducibility.
However, the surface emission type semiconductor laser having a Bragg reflector consisting of the InGaAlP material has very high electrical resistance. That is because the band discontinuity of a heterojunction, having different compositions constituting the Bragg reflector, is large on the valence band side, and accordingly, the resulting heterospike prevents hole carriers from being injected. For this reason, the electrical resistance of the device becomes as large as 20.OMEGA. or more. With such a large electrical resistance, laser oscillation is difficult, and even if oscillation occurs, device reliability is greatly degraded.